Citizens Medical Center hosts third annual diabetes drive-thru

Diabetes Education SeminarWHAT: Four presentations will cover the different aspects of how diabetes can affect one's health. Information on what diabetes is, healthy cooking, medication information and exercise will be discussed.

To RSVP or for more information on the diabetes education seminar, call HealthWISE at 361-578-9473.

Amanda Flores slowly rounded her van around the traffic cones at Citizens Healthplex and came to a halt when a registered nurse walked up to the driver's side window.

Flores filled out some personal information, held her hand out the window's opening and felt the quick prick of a needle pierce her finger.

The nurse had just checked her blood sugar a part of Citizens Medical Center's third annual diabetes drive-through, Wednesday.

"77," read the glucometer.

The 22-year-old was three points under the normal range, but she was still in good shape.

"I don't want it to get too far along," said Flores, who is at risk of the disease because of genetics.

Melissa Mosby, a diabetes educator at Citizens Medical Center, said the 55 people tested weren't severely out of the normal 80 to 120 blood glucose range.

The drive-through was also held last Wednesday, where 25 people were tested.

"We're getting more and more kids and teens who are being diagnosed because of the inactivity," she said about the trends in the Crossroads and across the U.S. "We have so many more families that are fast food families.

The lack of activity, poor eating habits and possible family histories of diabetes, increases the risk of getting the disease, she said.

Most diabetics, when diagnosed, have been diabetics for four to six years but it goes undiagnosed because they are unfamiliar or unsure of the symptoms they are feeling, she added.

Some of the symptoms could be frequent thirst, weight loss and frequent urination, just to name a few.

"Four to six years makes a difference from some of the damage that they've done to their system," she said.

Martha Marthiljohni decided to walk through the diabetes drive-through with her daughter before heading into the center for their morning workout.

The 48-year-old tries to workout three or four days a week so she can combat the disease, she said.

"I think it's a good thing," she said about the free service as she waited for her results.

Cars trickled through the makeshift drive-through as the morning progressed.

The mission to make people more aware of diabetes was met, and Mosby likes to think someone may have had a wake up call.

"If gives an opportunity to say, 'If I don't check it any more times than today, at least they checked it today.' Which is good," Mosby said. "Really good."